UN Secretary-General's Report on Women, Peace and Security: Peace processes and negotiations
UN Secretary-General to the UN Security Council, S/2004/814, 13 October 2004

C. Peace processes and negotiations

22. Resolution 1325 (2000) calls on all actors to ensure the full participation of women in peace processes and to adopt gender perspectives when negotiating peace
agreements. Various initiatives of Member States, the United Nations and civil society have focused on supporting and increasing the representation of women in
peace negotiations and mainstreaming gender perspectives into peace agreements.

23. The Government of the Philippines has sought women’s participation in the peace process, involving them in dialogues and workshops to integrate their experiences and perspectives. The Australian Government has provided support to organizations that promote women’s participation in peace processes, including the Bougainvillean Women’s Forum, which drew up recommendations to further the peace process and to identify post-conflict development priorities. The Canadian International Development Agency has supported Sudanese women on building consensus on a platform for peace. In Sri Lanka, the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, supported by Norway, established a subcommittee on gender issues to elaborate gender-sensitive guidelines for the peace process.

24. The Division for the Advancement of Women of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs provided technical support and training to 70 African women
leaders on negotiation and mediation skills from 2001 to 2003, to support their integration into formal peace negotiations. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) advocated the inclusion of gender-specific responses in the peace process in Liberia, and in particular, for the prioritization and recognition of the rights of women and girls associated with fighting forces. In Somalia, UNIFEM helped women to come together across factional lines to define a common agenda for women’s role in peace and reconstruction focusing on issues of women’s representation.

25. There is increasing recognition that efforts to enhance women’s participation at the peace table must be complemented by steps to give systematic attention to gender issues in all aspects of peace processes. Within the United Nations system, in December 2003, the Division for the Advancement of Women, in collaboration with
the Department of Political Affairs and the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, convened an expert group meeting on peace agreements as a means for promoting gender equality in preparation for the forty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. A framework of model provisions on promoting gender equality was developed, providing a set of standards for mediators, facilitators and funding entities involved in preparing peace agreements. It has been widely disseminated to field offices. During the annual meeting of field presences of the Department of Political Affairs in May 2004, the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General held a special session on gender mainstreaming to exchange field experiences on achievements and obstacles.

26. Indigenous women play a unique role in conflict resolution as mediators and peace builders. At its third session, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues acknowledged these contributions and recommended that United Nations entities integrate the special concerns, priorities and contributions of indigenous women in all aspects of conflict prevention, peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction.

27. The women’s movement has made major contributions to building partnerships for peace. In Azerbaijan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Great Lakes Region, Liberia, the Middle East, Nepal, Northern Ireland and Somalia, for example, women have worked collaboratively across ethnic and religious lines
to make valuable contributions to peace processes. One lesson learned from the peace negotiations in Liberia is that women need to receive early support and
training in order to facilitate their active participation in the negotiation of peace agreements. There are also a number of regional and international efforts to support
women as peacemakers, for example the Mano River Women’s Peace Network, which was awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 2003
and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

28. While the impact of the contribution of women to informal peace processes is well known, obstacles to their participation and to the systematic incorporation of gender perspectives in formal peace processes remain. The number of women who participate in formal peace processes remains small. The leadership of parties to
conflict is male-dominated and men are chosen to participate at the peace table. The desire to bring peace at any cost may result in a failure to involve women and
consider their needs and concerns. In addition, women’s organizations often do not have the resources needed to effectively influence lengthy peace negotiation
processes.

29. I urge Member States, entities of the United Nations and civil society to develop comprehensive guidelines and training initiatives based on the framework of model provisions on promoting gender equality in peace agreements.

30. I intend to review recent peace processes and analyse the obstacles to and missed opportunities for women’s full participation in peace negotiations and develop strategies accordingly.